Postcards from Palma

If you follow the colourful goings-on in the Kettlewell Colour Club, you will have seen that Jo and I escaped the office last week for a very special Facebook Live in Majorca with the Style Empowerment Coach, Leesa Whisker. I’ve known Leesa since the early days of Kettlewell and have always found her really stylish and inspirational (she’s spent 25 years helping women to transform their personal style and embrace colour, from large corporate seminars and group workshops to the offices of Vogue and dressing rooms across the world). Leesa is all about confidence, empowerment and expressing yourself and, for her, colour is a big part of that. Judging by all the lovely feedback we’ve had from our Live, Leesa’s approach to style really struck a chord – it gave Jo and I so much to think about that we barely stopped talking all the way back on the plane, and we’ve been discussing ways in which we can weave her ideas into the business to help our customers ever since. If you haven’t already, catch up on a clip from the Live in the video link below. In the meantime, here are some of the lessons we’ve taken away from our 48 hours in Palma. 

Melissa wears: Petra Jacket in Soft Yellow and the Flora Top in Green Meadow.
Jo wears: Everyday Cotton Tee in Dark Lime and the Frida Infinity Scarf in Deep Giraffe.

Your style evolves over time…

Leesa has a theory that people reinvent themselves every seven years, and I definitely think there’s something in that. I know I feel different from the person I was seven years ago, not least because my children have grown up now, and that is reflected in the way I dress. Even if you are clear on your style, as I am as a Natural Ingenue, Leesa says your style can subtly shift over time. A lot of people reach a style and then stop but we shouldn’t think of style as a static thing, rather as a constant journey. The secret is making space and time in your life for playing with those styles, whether it’s colour blocking or mixing up prints. It’s all about having fun with your wardrobe.

Everyone needs anchor pieces in their wardrobe…

Most of us will have occasion pieces and unique styles that only really work when they are paired with the same thing. The key, says Leesa, is to have special anchor pieces in your wardrobe, such as our pillar-box red culottes, that can be worn multiple ways, whether it’s with a dressy top and a pair of ankle boots or just a plain jumper. Leesa showed how by using the culottes as the anchor and picking colours out of a print to wear with them (in her case a top with red embroidery, a black T shirt with red lips) she was able to create different outfits that had real colour cohesiveness. 

Shop the Claudia Culottes here

It's worth remembering the 80/20 colour rule…

Leesa’s strict on this one – as long as 80% of her outfit is in her Winter palette, she’s less worried about the other 20% (a long black jacket with a heron design and emerald trees but a few colours not in her palette being a case in point). What she’s really clear about is making sure that core pieces in your wardrobe are kept in your palette because that is what gives you flexibility. The palette is the cohesive factor.

Leesa wears the Lobster Scarf

Preloved clothes make for a sustainable wardrobe…

I love the fact that Leesa’s wardrobe contains so much preloved, from the ice-pink ruffle blouse she picked up in a charity shop in Brighton for £2 to a beautiful boxy orange Ganni top that she bought in a preloved designer boutique in Palma. I also love the fact that, having found that perfect preloved statement piece, she’s not afraid to play around with colours and prints and style it up with a colourful basic, like our Stripey Pima Tee in Cherry. 

Jo and I found it so inspiring, in fact, that we persuaded Leesa to tell us the names of her favourite boutiques in Palma, so we could check them out for ourselves before we left. We had a great time looking through the rails at VilaVintage, DeTuAmi and La Simo, and I came home with a beautiful preloved cami in a Spring print as well as a great canary yellow coat. We’re now on a mission to track down some brilliant, well-curated preloved shops in the UK, so if you can suggest any we’re all ears.

Style isn’t frivolous…

We’re often made to feel that there’s something self-obsessed and a bit silly about being into style and how we look but, as Leesa points out, style is much more than that – it’s a powerful and creative expression of who we are and a core part of what it means to be human. Clothes help us to express our inner self and calling, something we’ve done throughout history, so we shouldn’t be afraid to let that part of our personality shine through – in fact, we should embrace it!

Leesa wears: 
Image one – Supersoft Zadie Top in Deep Forest over a Stripey Pima Tee in Pine & White
Image two – Stripey Pima Tee in Cherry & Hot Pink
Image three – Jersey Maxi Skirt in Emerald

Everyone needs a happiness anchor…

It could be a scarf, it could be an old coat or an antique necklace – whatever it is, a happiness anchor connects you back to a special memory and your own history, says Leesa. Often those meaningful pieces describe the core of your personal style – in Leesa’s case a unique artisanal shell necklace that she has had in her jewellery box for years – a piece that is Bohemian, made with love and care and won’t be worn by anyone else. 

Talking to Leesa about happiness anchors reminded me of beautifully delicate necklace I have of my late mother’s and how it connects me to her whenever I wear it. It is such a powerful connection to the past, and I find it immensely comforting to feel it close to me. I’ve never really articulated it before, but this is exactly what it is – a happiness anchor.

Follow Leesa on Instagram at @Leesawhisker. For details of her Colour Confidence Masterclass, which now has 50% off, visit www.leesawhisker.com

Getting away from it all can be inspiring…

Last but not least, one of those most valuable things I have taken away from our Palma trip is how removing yourself from work or whatever situation you are in for a while can really help you to find time to breathe and get clarity. Removing myself from the hustle and bustle of the business just for 48 hours and talking to Leesa has produced some really good ideas and felt so inspiring. I hope it has been for you, too.

If you're looking for May's Colour of the Month, don't worry, we haven't forgotten it! We were so excited about sharing our Palma trip that we wanted to get this post out as soon as possible, so May's COTM will be published next Friday.

If you want to get started on the new theme right away though, we've chosen Summer Skies for May, and we know that the Colour Club will be inspiring us right from the very beginning of the month, so do head over there for inspiration to keep you going until the full post is published next week!